I am glad 2020 is over. 2020 was a tough year for us. Although we are still stuck at home due to the pandemic, the new vaccine gives us some hope that we can kick COVID-19 in its butt in the coming months and pave the way for a brighter 2021.

We have some new challenges in front of us for 2021. Maintaining the membership level to pre-COVID-19 level is very difficult. Not everyone has embraced the online Zoom meetings. Based on the number of people who have already paid the 2021 dues, there is hope that we will be in good shape. I want to thank everyone who has already paid the dues. For those who are sitting on the fence, trying to decide whether to continue their membership or not, I want to emphasize that our club (in partnership with WBW) has an aggressive plan to bring in more professional demos in 2021. The board has agreed to put more money into professional demos thereby enhancing what you get out of the club. There is no additional cost to you to attend these professional demos through our club. The yearly dues break down to less than $3 per month. If you were to go and attend some of these professional demos directly or through other channels like the AAW you will be paying $10 or $15 per demo. If there is something else that we could do to improve on how we operate as a club, please let me or one of the board members know. We wish to make our club more attractive to each one of you.

During our recent board meeting, Jim Loney had a suggestion. If you bring in a new member, you will get a $5 credit that will be applied towards your next year’s dues. The maximum is $35 for bringing in 7 members. The board liked that idea and unanimously approved it. You might have some friends who could use some mentoring in woodturning. Please tell your friends about our club.

In closing and looking back at 2020, there is one person to who I want to give a special shout out to. She spent an awful lot of time behind the scenes helping us. She meticulously went through all the paperwork and organized everything. She (along with the help of her husband) has given us a new blueprint for how we look at our club’s finance. The new system is easy to comprehend for anyone. I want to thank Barbara Loney for all the help she is doing for our club.

Happy turning.

~ Hari ~